1 dead in Arizona as small plane with tourists hits sand, flips while landing

PAGE, Ariz. -- A small plane carrying French tourists crashed while landing in windy conditions Saturday at an airport in northern Arizona, killing one person and leaving another hospitalized, authorities said.

The single-engine plane with a pilot and the six tourists hit the ground and toppled over near the airport runway in Page, the center of a tourist area about 200 miles north of Phoenix, Page Police Capt. Ray Varner said.

"The plane hit the sand and flipped over upside down," Varner told The Associated Press.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the Cessna 207 crashed 400 to 500 feet short of the tarmac.

Varner said one passenger died after being rushed to a hospital, while another was hospitalized in apparent stable condition.

He said four others received hospital treatment for minor injuries and were released, while the seventh person was unhurt. The pilot was among the injured.

The aircraft was on a sightseeing tour when the accident occurred, Varner said.

Both the captain and the FAA website said the aircraft's registered owner is American Aviation Inc. of Salt Lake City.

A person answering the phone there late Saturday said they didn't have any information.

Varner said that the hometowns of the passengers was still being determined but at least one of them was from the French city of Le Havre.

Both Gregor and Varner said the cause of the crash was being investigated.